Government fleet procurement guide

A strong fleet tender makes suppliers explain what they deliver, demonstrate the features your team needs and price the complete setup. Use this guide to define your fleet’s requirements, compare responses and test the shortlisted systems before choosing a supplier.

Choose the capabilities your fleet needs

Vehicle location is one part of the buying decision. Pool bookings, servicing, inspections and fleet costs may also belong in your brief. Compare fleet management software alongside the tracking capabilities your vehicles need, so suppliers quote the same scope.

Before writing the requirements, answer four questions:

1. What decisions should the system support: utilisation and fleet size, servicing, shared bookings, compliance reporting or driver safety?
2. Which vehicles and assets are included: cars, commercial vehicles, plant, trailers or employee-owned vehicles used for business?
3. Who will use it: fleet managers, workshop teams, drivers, finance, safety teams or executives?
4. Which systems must exchange information: finance, asset management, fuel cards or HR?

For each connection, name the information, where it needs to go and how often it should update. Compare integrations and APIs alongside the cost and support included in each offer.

Choose the trackers for your vehicles

Include your vehicle types and the information you need from each. Compare plug-in and installed GPS tracking devices, installation, driver identification and vehicle diagnostics. Keep phone-based tracking as an alternative where it suits the fleet.

Ask suppliers to explain the fit for representative vehicles, including coverage in the areas you travel, power requirements and the data each device collects. Include installation time, warranty, replacement arrangements and device ownership at contract end. A staged installation plan should keep enough vehicles available for your services.

Requirements worth copying

The fleet tender requirements checklist includes requirements, supplier-response fields and demonstration questions. Adapt it with your procurement, IT and privacy teams. Include:

• Data ownership sits with you. Your fleet's data is yours, exportable in open formats, at no exit cost. NSW's telematics guidance makes agency data ownership explicit; every buyer should.
• Australian data residency, with hosting, processing and backups onshore, and the hosting provider's government certifications stated.
• Access control that maps to your directory: single sign-on, automatic deprovisioning, role-based access, and a full audit trail including vendor support access.
• Driver privacy and notice requirements: support for applicable written notices and in-vehicle signage. NSW telematics guidance specifies 14 days’ notice; confirm the requirements for your jurisdiction and circumstances. See telling drivers about tracking.
• An agreed exit process: data deletion on request, including remote deletion for lost devices, and a documented offboarding process.
• Details behind security claims: ask for certificates, the hosting region, the breach notification commitment in hours, and the incident contact.

Review IntelliTrac security and access controls when preparing your security questions. Keep mandatory conditions separate from desirable features, and agree how each will be assessed before responses arrive.

Compare the complete cost

Ask every supplier to separate software subscriptions, GPS trackers, installation, data migration, integrations, training, support and exit charges. Identify what is included, what costs extra and what needs custom delivery.

Comparing named suppliers? See how IntelliTrac stacks up against Geotab, Teletrac Navman and Linxio.

Use the same vehicle numbers, modules and contract period for every quote. State the billing basis, minimum term, renewal conditions and any cost to add or remove vehicles. A monthly equivalent does not necessarily mean monthly billing.

Test the changeover with your own spreadsheet

IntelliTrac’s automatic spreadsheet imports bring in your existing CSV or Excel file without rebuilding it around a new template. Ask to see the automatic column matching, any entries that need attention and the imported vehicles and history. Use the same file when comparing suppliers.

See your requirements demonstrated

Give shortlisted suppliers the same scenarios and ask them to show the complete task. Note what is included in the quote, what needs extra hardware and anything still planned:

• Find a representative vehicle, replay a completed journey and inspect the vehicle data you need.
• Submit a failed pre-start check and follow the defect through to maintenance.
• Make a pool booking, check out the vehicle and show how a late return appears.
• Import your existing spreadsheet and review the result.
• Compare vehicle utilisation and fleet costs, then export the results. Show one vehicle’s FBT data for a quarter.
• Change a user’s access and review the audit trail, including a supplier support action.
• Explain device replacement, the most recent security assessment, incident notification and data return when the contract ends.

Use the same assessment scale for each supplier. Speak with named references from comparable Australian fleets. For a pilot or staged rollout, agree the vehicles, responsibilities, success criteria and acceptance decision before it starts.

Check the buying channel for your organisation

• NSW agencies: the Travel and Transport Policy requires telematics for general-purpose government fleet vehicles, with exclusions for 100% salary-packaged vehicles, heavy commercial vehicles, plant and equipment, and emergency operational vehicles. The published buying routes are the ICT Services Scheme (SCM0020) or the whole-of-government Fleet Management Panel.
• Councils: check your procurement policy and the current contracts offered by Local Government Procurement or the relevant state body. Confirm the category, supplier eligibility and conditions before relying on a panel. A marketplace listing alone does not establish panel approval.
• Other states and territories: use the applicable procurement policy and buying arrangements. Confirm local privacy, notice and contract requirements; NSW guidance does not apply nationally.

The official sources below were checked on 20 October 2026. Check the current policy and contract details before issuing your tender.

Compare IntelliTrac against your brief

IntelliTrac supplies fleets to Australian councils, utilities and agencies, and can respond against every requirement above. Ask us for the security pack as part of your evaluation. Use the same checklist to assess every supplier, including us.

General information, not tax or legal advice.